The Construction Law Committee Visits the Audubon Zoo

On February 5, 2015, the New Orleans Bar Association Construction Law Committee was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of Audubon Zoo’s most recent renovation. The tour included glimpses of the completed lazy river as well as the currently under-construction updated elephant and orangutan enclosures. In addition to these previews, the Construction Law Committee gained valuable insight into the myriad hurdles this project has encountered. For example, the project’s general contractor – Gibbs Construction – works closely with the Army Corps of Engineers in performing work only at times when the Mississippi River is below a certain level. Gibbs and the zoo’s owner’s representative must also closely monitor how the construction activities impact the zoo’s animals. The morning routine includes project downtime so the elephants can take strolls throughout the zoo. Visiting ongoing construction sites is a must-have for construction attorneys, and the New Orleans Bar Association is very grateful to both Gibbs and Audubon Zoo for the unique opportunity to view what is surely going to be one of the zoo’s most distinctive developments.